The Physics of Scuba Diving

Cover
Copyright
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1 - Pressure
	Air & Water Pressure
	How is air pressure measured?
	The Scuba Cylinder
	Metric Units
	Breathing underwater
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 2 - Buoyancy
	Specific Gravity
	Buoyancy of the human body
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 3 - Boyle’s Law
	Gas in a rigid container
	Gas in a flexible container and Boyle’s Law
	Consequences of Boyle’s Law for divers
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 4 - Ideal Gas Laws
	Temperature
	The general gas law
	Air
	Oxygen toxicity
	Carbon monoxide
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 5 - Water
	Cold
	The molecular structure of water
	Surface waves
	Sound
	Sight
	The world ocean
	Currents
	Tides
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 6 - The Exponential Function
	Exponential growth
	Exponential decay
	For the mathematically inclined only!
	Newton’s law of cooling
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 7 - Modeling Nitrogen Absorption
	The rate of on-gassing and off-gassing
	Haldane’s model
	The absorption of oxygen
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 8 - The Bends
	What is decompression sickness?
	Other barotraumas
	Historical background
	Haldane’s protocols
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 9 - The Navy Dive Tables
	Historical background
	Using the Navy Tables for a single dive
	Using the Navy Dive Tables for repetitive dives
	Special Cases
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 10 - The Mathematics of the Navy Tables
	M-values and no-decompression limits
	Repetitive dives
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 11 - Variations on Table Use
	Fresh water
	Effects of altitude
	A note about depth gauges
	Nitrox
	Nitrogen narcosis
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Chapter 12 - Recreational Diving
	Problems with the Navy Tables
	The development of the PADI Tables
	Dive computers
	Safety stops
	Safe dive profiles
	Exercises
	Endnotes
Appendix A  - Units of Measurement
	Length
	Area
	Volume
	Mass
	Time
	Force
	Pressure
	Energy
	Temperature
Appendix B - Specific Gravity
Appendix C - Air
Appendix D - Rules of Exponents
Appendix E
The US Navy Dive Tables
	US Navy Dive Table 3
	US Navy Dive Table 4
	US Navy Dive Table 5
	US Navy Dive Table 5, continued
	US Navy Dive Table 5, continued
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index